This invention relates to heat exchangers of the plate and fin type, and particularly to a generally new plate element the use of which makes a heat exchanger inherently self fixturing.
The core of a heat exchanger of the plate and fin type comprise plate elements alternating with fin elements, spacer members interposing between plate elements and along side fin elements and defining separated fluid flow passages. In assembly a core, parts are loosely stacked one upon another, and, when assembly is complete, a brazing operation joins the parts in a unitary whole. To hold parts in a properly assembled relation, prior to brazing, stacking is usually accomplished in a fixture, which continues to hole the parts during brazing. The use of a fixture is an added complication and expense in core fabrication, especially when, as is frequently the case, special fixtures must be designed, and kept on hand, to match special core configurations. A principle of self fixturing, by which parts mate with one another and so inhibit misalignment, has been suggested heretofore, as in the U.S. Pat. No. to Coolidge 3,805,889. The prior art concept, however, does not deal with problems of total confinement, nor does it illustrate how a conventional heat exchanger can be made self fixturing using simple modifications of the usual parts.